The Dark Knight
by Honeeym
Summary: Post 2x08 "Rose". If you haven't seen the episode, DO NOT READ. "They say everybody loves a hero. Well, Damon Salvatore certainly couldn't be one of those. They would have to settle for a Dark Knight."


**__****Dear readers,**

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**One more post 2x08 "Rose" One-Shot. It has nothing to do with a Delena fiction, as you will see. I sincerely hope you will like it because I'm not sure this is one of my best pieces and I'm not sure it's worth reading BUT I had to get it out of my system. So here it is...**

"_**Listen, what Rose told Elena about the curse…" Stefan told his brother.**_

"_**I know. We'll keep her safe."**_

"_**You know the only way we're gonna be able to do that is if we're not fighting each other. We let Katherine come between us, if we let that happen with Elena, we're not gonna able to protect her."**_

"_**Yes, Stefan. Heard it all before." **_

Damon finished his drink and dropped the glass sharply. He didn't like being lectured, especially not when it came to the women of their lives. If he didn't know, he couldn't have told the eldest from the youngest. Stefan could be so damn patronizing sometimes! He decided that he had had enough so he strode out of the room.

"_**Hey." Stefan called.**_

"_**What?" He answered with a slightly annoyed tone, turning around. **_

"_**I'm sorry."**_

"_**About **__**what**__**?" Damon was clearly irritated now. **_

Stefan thought for a while. He had so much to apologize for. So much he wanted to erase. Where should he start? What should he say to make it all better? He needed to make it better, for Elena's sake. And also because he wanted Damon back. This was the first time since they had turned that they could really fix things. So, where should he start? Well, the obvious.

"_**For being the guy who made you turn 145 years ago."**_

"_**Enough, Stef, it's late. No need to rehash that."**_

"_**Well, you know, I never said it out loud. I guess I just need to say it and you need to hear it. "**_

Damon was about to leave again but he froze. Stefan was trying to have a moment. A real moment, with no resentment or anything. He could not deny him that, not now, not after everything that had happened lately. Stefan understood that Damon not walking away was his way of saying that he accepted the apology. The youngest Salvatore took a deep breath.

"_**I'm sorry. What I did was selfish, I didn't want to be alone. I guess I just needed my brother."**_

Damon turned around. He didn't want to be alone. He had made him turn because he didn't want to be alone. Well, now they were stuck together for sure, and forever. Was this Stefan's way to say "I love you"? They stared at each other for what seemed to be an eternity. Actually, these few seconds were actually 145 years. All this time they had spent blaming, deceiving, hurting, and hating each other. It was all gone.

Elena just finished brushing her teeth. He heard her let out a deep sigh and finally she came out. Damon was there. Of course, he would be there. He was lurky like that. Even though she saw him, she acknowledged his presence only when he spoke.

"_**Cute PJs" he said. **_

She had been expecting more innuendo and one of his lustful smirks but he just smiled. She felt suddenly very self-conscious in her shorts and tank top. She wanted him out of this room so much that she paused to wonder why. She had no idea. Just a very bad feeling. She tried her best to show annoyance when she uttered.

"_**I'm tired, Damon."**_

He got to his feet and took a few steps closer to her. She wanted to smile and hug him when she saw her necklace in his right hand. He had found it. He had bothered bringing it back to her, even though it was a defense against him, in the beginning. Even though that necklace was nothing more than a proof of her belonging to Stefan.

"_**I brought you this."**_

"_**I thought that was gone. Thank you."**_

Elena finally smiled. She smiled because she felt safer with her necklace, and he knew that, and that was the reason why he brought it back. But she also smiled with her "Thank you" because she had denied him that earlier. Actually, she had meant to rush down the stairs to his arms but Stefan had showed up. Mouthing a "thank you" above his brother's shoulder was certainly not a proper way to thank someone for saving your life. She had been acting this distantly to him ever since he had snapped Jeremy's neck. If he made a joke, she wanted to laugh but she didn't. If he had a point in a conversation, she just rolled her eyes. If he did something nice, she asked the why. He only got negative feedback from her. He had got used to it. However, it didn't hurt any less.

Damon was going to put the necklace in her hand but he stopped. For one second, he hesitated. Would he have the guts to do what he came to do with her necklace on? Would he really look her in the eye and say his part when she was to remember? No, of course not. Her knowing this would be painful for both of them. He knew Elena well enough to know that she would feel guilty to put him in such a position. She would blame herself for being another Katherine, having both brothers worship at her alter. And he would have to deal with the fact that, once again, Stefan was picked over him. Yes, it would be painful, not to mention very dangerous.

"_**Please give it back."**_

"_**I just have to say something."**_

Damon heard the fear behind her gasp. He couldn't blame her. Last time he had showed up in her room late at night, he had forced a kiss on her and snapped her brother's neck.

"_**Why do you have to say it with my necklace?"**_

_**"Because, what I'm about to say is… probably the most selfish thing I've said in my life." **_

It bothered him that she asked. It bothered him every time she talked because he could feel his will weaken with every word she said. Which is exactly why she kept speaking.

_**"Damon, don't go there." **_

_**"I just have to say it once; you just need to hear it."**_

He made it seem like this would have no consequence at all, that it was no big deal. But she knew better. She knew him and she knew exactly what he was going to say. What would it feel like to hear it? Would she be embarrassed, mad or sad? Would she even feel something?

"_**I love you Elena."**_

Damon saw no surprise on her face. He couldn't determine what she was thinking. Was she embarrassed, mad, or sad? Could it be that she was disgusted with him right now? Someone who could kill her brother clearly didn't deserve to love her. She was about to speak, but he couldn't have taken the rejection once more so he just went on. His voice was hoarse, filled with emotion. It sent shivers down her spine.

"_**And it's because I love you that I can't be selfish with you, why you can't know this… I don't deserve you. But my brother does."**_

Elena kept staring at his lips. He noticed that, of course. Would she consider letting him kiss her for real, just this once? Not likely. But then, why was she staring at his lips like that? She should stop, it made them tingle. So he just indulged and got closer to her. By the look in her yes, he could tell that she wouldn't have pushed him away if their lips had met. It would have sent him over the edge and ruined everything he was about to do, everything he wanted to be. So he simply kissed her forehead gently. At that moment, she wanted to hug him just like she had when they had found out Katherine was not in the tomb and tell him she was sorry. Sorry that we was so in pain, sorry that she didn't feel the same way, or sorry that she felt the same way but couldn't express it. Sorry, sorry, sorry.

"_**God, I wish you didn't have to forget this…"**_

She frowned slightly. He had said his part. She wished she could say something in return, anything. Or stroke his cheek. Or run away. But her body didn't seem to respond to any of her demands. Instead, she kept staring at his lips. Was he really going to do that? Could he really shut this door forever? Did she want him to? She didn't know. She didn't have the slightest idea and she knew she had only one second left to make up her mind and do something before he…

"_**But you do".**_

As a single tear slid down his face, Damon used all his willpower to take away her memory and disappeared.

Long after Stefan had left, his words were constantly replaying in Damon's mind. _"I just needed my brother"_. The admission had shaken him to the core. This was the kind of thing that they needed to make their relationship return to what it used to be, a long, long time ago. I hurt you, and I apologize. You hurt me, and I forgive you. Like brothers.

Throughout the years, Damon had blamed his brother for many things. His mother died giving birth to Stefan. His father was disappointed in him while he worshipped Stefan. Katherine wanted him, but she also wanted Stefan. He put his faith in his brother, but their father's trust was more important to Stefan. Katherine was gone because of Stefan. He was forced to complete his transition because of Stefan. He had always been the bad guy as opposed to Stefan.

But with these single words "I just needed my brother", it was indeed all gone. The resentment, the hurt, the denial. Everything. For a split second, Damon had seen the green-eyed teenager behind the 163-year-old vampire. This smiling, innocent and fragile little brother that he was supposed to take care of and that he used to love so much, once upon a time. When he had caught a glimpse of that Stefan, everything had become crystal-clear. For the first time in years, Damon Salvatore's undead life had purpose. He knew exactly where he belonged.

As much as Stefan had been selfish, Damon needed to be selfless. Stefan's words had decisively brought back the protectiveness in him. He needed to get back to his old self, the one who was ready to do anything to get what he wanted. And what he wanted, more than anything else in the world, was for this brother and Elena to be safe. Together. Since when was he the good guy who sacrificed himself for others? When did he get so sentimental? He would have laughed if he hadn't been so torn.

Talking to Elena was the last thing he had to go. Now, it was back to being Damon the Self-Serving Psychopath. From then on, he wouldn't bother with such stupid things as _feelings_. For his brother and Elena's sake, he would switch off everything human about him. He wouldn't give a damn about Stefan taking Katherine away from him, or Caroline and her insecurity, or Bonnie and her judgments or Jeremy and his search for a purpose or Tyler and his werewolf-ness or Liz and her moral principles or Katherine and her games or Elena being just what he needs.

Damon sighed. He was like, the cornerstone of this twisted team they formed. What made them all agree? "Damon is this, Damon is that. He can't be trusted". "This" or "that" could be replaced by any negative adjective. Well, if he didn't play this role for them, if he didn't act the way he was expected to, if he gave in to this other person inside of him (the one that loved Elena and that missed Stefan), what would happen? It would all fall down, because they would find other reasons to disagree and disunite. He wouldn't allow it. He would keep them all together in their anti-Damon-ness and look out for them when they wouldn't even know.

From then on, he would only be the guard dog. A very angry one with very sharp fangs. He would drain History teachers out of blood. He would turn the entire state of Virginia. He would rip witches' heart out. He would stake undead bodies. He would snap human necks. He would torture a thousand werewolves. He would smirk, make sexual innuendos, drink bourbon and bully people. He would be the bad guy. He would, if he had to. He would lie, cheat and deceive. But it was for the best.

They say everybody loves a hero. Well, Damon Salvatore certainly couldn't be one of those. They would have to settle for a Dark Knight.

**Special thanks to my newly-found American online friend-beta reader VictoriaJoan for reading this beforehand and correcting my mistakes. You people seriously need to check out her stories because she's doing amazing. **

**Bold characters are quotes from the episode. **

**Please, don't leave me in the dark and review a lot.**

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- M. -


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